Legendary golf broadcaster , who played in the 17 times as a pro and called 22 more on television, will tee it up at the this week at Newport Country Club. He made it to Rhode Island via sectional qualifying in what will mark his U.S.
Senior Open debut. “One of the reasons I got into television in my 40s is because I figured out it’s a lot easier to talk about some guy making a six-foot putt than me doing it,” Koch said Wednesday before the tournament. “You’re hoping as a broadcaster to be able to communicate to the viewer hopefully what the player is thinking or maybe the game plan they’ve put together, or we read comments they make about how they’re trying to play the golf course.
We spend a lot of time on the golf course, even as broadcasters, checking out the conditions. So I would say there are some similarities, no doubt. But talking about it is a lot easier than doing it.
” Koch has not played competitively since 2018, when he tied for 50th at The Senior Open. Despite that, he arrives in the Ocean State with plenty of confidence and with good reason. Koch, now 71, admitted that he has shot his age at least 100 times, first doing so after he turned 62.
“The reality is I just don’t play much competitive golf anymore,” Koch said. “On my good days, I should be able to go around this place and post a respectable score. I’m not sure what a respectable score would be based on the conditions.
I would say realistically, if I can make the cut and play al.